The present invention relates to a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus, e.g., a helical scan type video tape recorder for recording a video signal onto video tracks of a magnetic tape and reproducing the video signal recorded on the magnetic tape and, more particularly, to an apparatus for recording control signals in which control signals recorded on the magnetic tape such as, for example, cue signals for searching the heads corresponding to the respective recording start portions of a plurality of video information having different contents, address signals which are used to search the respective video information, and the like are recorded onto the control track of the magnetic tape.
Hitherto, as such a kind of apparatus, as disclosed in the Official Gazette of Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 139157/84, there has been known the apparatus in which the head searching cue signals are recorded in the video track portions of a tape throughout the whole width of the tape by use of a whole-width erasing head (the erasing head is also commonly used to record the cue signals) and head searching operation of the tape is executed on the basis of the cue signals. On the other hand, as disclosed in the Official Gazette of Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. 195638/82, there has been known the apparatus in which two kinds of pulse signals of different duty ratios are recorded into the control track and the tape is moved fast or at a constant speed in accordance with the duty ratios of these pulse signals.
However, in any of these apparatuses, no consideration is paid to the means for easily realizing the recording, erasing, change (rewriting), and the like of the head search signal (cue signal), address signal, and the like of the video information.